What's Happening TO NEW YORK CITY'S HOMELESS ANIMALS

As of March 2015The plight of our City's homeless animas is determined by what happens both withinandoutside the shelter walls of what is now known as "Animal Care & Control."The City's Department of Health (DOH) continues to control AC&C management while insisting the shelter is an "independent" charity with able and committed leadership. independent charity. The reality is that the DOH selects AC&C management based on their loyalty to the DOH.

Unfortunately, the DOH has no mandate to ensure humane care of animals.In turn, the AC&C paints itself as a well-run charity committed to the humane care of its animals and on its way to "no kill" by 2015.If only those claims were true.

Admittedly there has been progress since late 2011. That's when the DOH stopped slashing the AC&C's budget ... in exchange for being relieved of its longstanding obligation to create shelters for the Bronx and Queens. The DOH viewed that deal as forever shielding it from providing shelters for the 3.6 million people who live in the Bronx and Queens.

Without those shelters, the existing 3 shelters are guaranteed to remain overcrowded. AC&C Management has used the extra DOH funding to slowly rebuild and expand staff, restoring some (although not all) of its core services. Even so, AC&C continues to rely overwhelmingly on rescue groups to reduce its kill numbers. These groups pull thousands of AC&C animals every year, but pay a heavy price for their generosity. The groups are saddled with the costs of nursing AC&C animals back to health from diseases the dogs and cats contract at the shelter. Only a handful of rescue groups are large and well-funded To add to the AC&C's dilemma, intake numbers are on the rise again due to the following:

Tenants face arbitrary restrictions against pet ownership when the focus should be on irresponsible pet owners.

NYC public schools fail to teach humane education even though there's a decades-old law requiring same.

Expanded hours of the Bronx and Queens "Receiving Centers" rcincrease the number of animals surrendered to the AC&C, but without full service shelters, there's no way to adopt out these animals except to , without means to adopt animals out.

Neighborhoods that are epicenters of animal homelessness still lack access to affordable spay/neuter facilities.